“Margaret Thatcher refused to jump for an interviewer. it isn’t just that she didn’t jump, it’s that she used the word “puerile” and either assumed it would be understood or, even better, didn’t care if you knew it and assumed if you were interested you’d haul yourself to a dictionary, to your betterment. This is how leaders used to talk. They didn’t use baby words. They said mothers and fathers, not moms and dads. A funny thing modern politicians, all of whom are mobbed up with media consultants, don’t understand: If they spoke like adults people would respect them more. And they’d stand out more from the pack. And if the adult language they were speaking were completely natural to them, obviously organic to them, people would be more than impressed, they’d be grateful. Anyway, this is how the grown-ups used to do it.”

PS (from a blogger) “The Brits haven’t had a PM fit to carry her purse since.”